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those to his principles, and all to the rule of right reafon; SERM. fo that you may know where to find him, and how to deal with him, and may easily please him, which makes his acquaintance acceptable, and his perfon valuable : beside that real worth of itself commands respect, and extorts veneration from men, and ufually profperity waits upon his well-advised attempts, which exceedingly adorn and advance the credit of the undertaker: however, if he fail fometime, his ufual deportment falves his repute, and easily makes it credible it was no fault of his, but of his fortune. If a fool profper, the honour is attributed to propitious chance; if he miscarry, to his own ill management: but the entire glory of happy undertakings crowns the head of Wisdom; while the disgrace of unlucky events falls otherwhere. His light, like that of the fun, cannot totally be eclipfed; it may be dimmed, but never extinguished, and always maintains a day, though overclouded with misfortune. Who lefs efteems the famous African captain for being overthrown in that last fatal battle, wherein he is faid to have fhewn the best skill, and yet endured the worst of success? Who contemns Cato, and other the grave citizens of Rome, for embracing the juft, but improfperous caufe of the commonwealth? A wife man's circunftances may vary and fluctuate like the floods about a rock; but he perfifts unmoveably the fame, and his reputation unfhaken: for he can always render a good account of his actions, and by reasonable apology elude the affaults of reproach.

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XII. Wisdom inftructs us to examine, compare, and rightly to value the objects that court our affections, and challenge our care; and thereby regulates our paffions, and moderates our endeavours, which begets a pleasant ferenity and peaceable tranquillity of mind. For when, being deluded with false fhews, and relying upon illgrounded prefumptions, we highly esteem, paffionately affect, and eagerly pursue things of little worth in themfelves, or concernment to us, as we unhandfomely proftitute our affections, and prodigally miffpend our time, and vainly lofe our labour; fo the event not answering

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SERM. our expectation, our minds thereby are confounded, disturbed, and diftempered. But when, guided by right reafon, we conceive great efteem of, and zealously are enamoured with, and vigorously ftrive to attain things of excellent worth, and weighty confequence; the conscience of having well placed our affections, and well employed our pains, and the experience of fruits correfponding to our hopes, ravishes our mind with unexpreffible content. And fo it is prefent appearance and vulgar conceit ordinarily impose upon our fancies, difguifing things with a deceitful varnish, and representing those that are vainest with the greatest advantage; whilft the nobleft objects, being of a more subtile and spiritual nature, like fairest jewels inclosed in a homely box, avoid the notice of grofs sense, and pass undiscerned by us. But the light of Wifdom, as it unmasks specious imposture, and bereaves it of its falfe colours; fo it penetrates into the retirements of true excellency, and reveals its genuine luftre. For example, corporeal pleasure, which so powerfully allures and enchants us, Wisdom declares that it is but a present, momentany, and tranfient fatisfaction of brutish fenfe, dimming the light, fullying the beauty, impairing the vigour, and reftraining the activity of the mind; diverting from better operations, and indifpofing it to enjoy purer delights; leaving no comfortable relish or gladfome memory behind it, but often followed with bitterness, regret, and disgrace. That the profit the world fo greedily gapes after is but a poffeffion of trifles, not valuable in themselves, nor rendering the mafters of them fo; accidentally obtained, and promiscuously enjoyed by all forts, but commonly by the worft of men; difficultly acquired, and easily loft; however, to be used but for a very short time, and then to be refigned into uncertain hands. That the honour men fo dote upon is ordinarily but the difference of a few petty circumftances, a peculiar name or title, a determinate place, a distinguishing enfign; things of only imaginary excellence, derived from chance, and conferring no advantage, except from fome little influence they have upon the arbitrary opinion and fickle

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humour of the people; complacence in which is vain, SERM, and reliance upon it dangerous. That power and dominion, which men fo impatiently struggle for, are but neceffary evils introduced to restrain the bad tempers of men; most evil to them that enjoy them; requiring tedious attendance, distracting care, and vexatious toil; attended with frequent disappointment, opprobrious cenfure, and dangerous envy; having fuch real burdens, and flavish incumbrances, fweetened only by fuperficial pomps, ftrained obfequiousness, fome petty privileges and exemptions scarce worth the mentioning. That wit and parts, of which men make fuch oftentation, are but natural endowments, commendable only in order to use, apt to engender pride and vanity, and hugely dangerous, if abused or misemployed. What should I mention beauty, that fading toy; or bodily ftrength and activity, qualities fo palpably inconfiderable? Upon thefe and fuch like flattering objects, fo adored by vulgar opinion, Wisdom exercifing severe and impartial judgment, and perceiving in them no intrinfic excellence, no folid content fpringing from them, no perfection thence accruing to the mind, no high reward allotted to them, no fecurity to the future condition, or other durable advantages proceeding from them; it concludes they deserve not any high opinion of the mind, nor any vehement paffion of the soul, nor any laborious care to be employed on them, and moderates our affections toward them: it frees us from anxious defire of them; from being transported with exceffive joy in the acquifition of them; from being overwhelmed with difconfolate forrow at the niffing of them, or parting with them; from repining and envying at those who have better fuccefs than ourselves in the procuring them; from immoderate toil in getting, and care in preferving them: and fo delivering us from all these unquiet anxieties of thought, tumultuous perturbations of paffion, and tedious vexations of body, it maintains our minds in a cheerful calm, quiet indifferency, and comfortable liberty. On the other fide, things of real worth and high concernment, that produce great fatisfaction to the mind, and are

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SERM. mainly conducible to our happiness, such as are a right understanding and strong sense of our obligations to Almighty God, and relations to men, a found temper and complexion of mind, a virtuous difpofition, a capacity to discharge the duties of our places, a due qualification to enjoy the happiness of the other world; thefe and fuch like things, by difcovering their nature, and the effects refulting from them, it engages us highly to esteem, ardently to affect, and industriously to pursue; so preventing the inconveniences that follow the want of them, and conveying the benefits arifing from the poffeffion of them.

XIII. Wisdom diftinguishes the circumftances, limits the measures, determines the modes, appoints the fit seafons of action; so preserving decorum and order, the parent of peace, and preventing confufion, the mother of iniquity, ftrife, and difquiet. It is in the bufinefs of human life as in a building; a due proportion of bigness, a fit fituation of place, a correspondency of shape, and suitableness of colour, is to be obferved between the parts thereof a defect in any of which requifites, though the materials hap to be choice and excellent, makes the whole fabric deformed and ugly to judicious apprehenfion. The best actions, if they swell, and exceed their due measure, if they be unskilfully misplaced, if in uncouth manner performed, they lose their quality, and turn both to the difgrace and difadvantage of life. It is commendable to pray; but they that would always be performing that duty, by their abfurd devotion procured to themselves the title of heretics: and they that will stand praying in places of public concourfe, deferved our Saviour's reprehenfions; and thofe men who, against the custom and ordinary use, would needs pray with their faces covered, you know St. Paul infinuates of them, that they were fond and contentious perfons. Friendly admonition is very laudable, and of rare ufe; but being upon all occafions immoderately used, or in public society so as to encroach upon modefty, or endamage reputation; or when the perfon admonished is otherwise employed, and

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attent upon his bufinefs; or being delivered in an impe- SERM. riously insulting way, or in harsh and opprobrious language; it becomes unfavoury and odious, and both in fhew and effect resembles a froward, malicious exceptiousness. It were infinite to compute in how many inftances want of due order, measure, and manner, do spoil and incommodate action. It is Wisdom that applies remedy to these mifchiefs. Things must be compared to, and arbitrated by, her standard, or elfe they will contain fomething of monftrous enormity; either ftrutting in unwieldy bulk, or finking in defective fcantnefs. If fhe do not fashion and model circumftances, they will fit ugly on the things that wear them; if she do not temper the colours, and describe the lineaments, the draught of practice will be but rude and imperfect, and little resemble the true patterns of duty: but if she interpose, and perform her part, all things will appear conformable, neat, and delicate.

XIV. Wisdom discovers our relations, duties, and concernments, in refpect of men, with the natural grounds of them; thereby both qualifying and inclining us to the discharge of them: whence exceeding convenience, pleafure, and content enfues. By it we understand we are parts and members of the great body, the universe; and are therefore concerned in the good management of it, and are thereby obliged to procure its order and peace, and by no irregular undertaking to disturb or discompose it; which makes us honeft and peaceable men: that we proceed from the fame primitive ftock, are children of the fame father, and partake of the fame blood with all men; are endowed with like faculties of mind, paffions of foul, fhape of body, and fenfe of things: that we have equally implanted in our original conftitution inclinations to love, pity, gratitude, fociableness, quiet, joy, reputation : that we have an indispensable need and impatient desire of company, affiftance, comfort, and relief; that therefore it is according to the defign of nature, and agreeable to reason, that to those, to whom our natural condition by so many bands of cognation, fimilitude, and mutual neceffitude, hath knit and conjoined us, we should bear a kind respect and